Tiny French workers' cafe gets overrun by foodies after getting Michelin star by ACCIDENT
A café in small-town France that serves £9 beef bourguignon has been overrun by foodies after it was accidentally awarded a Michelin star.
The cheap and cheerful Bouche à Oreille, in Bourges, boasts red-and-white polka dot tablecloths and serves classics such as lasagne to local workers.
There’s even an all-you-can-eat buffet.
The no-frills establishment has been “overwhelmed” by customers since the Michelin Guide confused it with an upmarket restaurant in Boutervilliers, Essonne, 180km north.
Véronique Jacquet, who runs the cafe, told the French newspaper Le Parisien that foodies had come flooding in since the mistake.
“I have new clients that want tables for three and four but at the same time I have my regulars. The problem is that we don’t have that much space,” she said.
The posher Bouche à Oreille serves a €48 (£41) set menu, which includes calf’s brain, lobster flan with fricassee of prawns, chocolate pear crisp and a glass of champagne.
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It also serves a 10-hour, slow-cooked lamb confit.
Michelin’s Claire Dorland-Clauzel told Le Parisien newspaper: “We apologised to the two establishments and we are sorry to have misled our clients.”
Chef Aymeric Dreux said: “It was a little boo-boo that caused no harm and was corrected.”
Dreux, who first earned the star in 2015, added: “I called [Jacquet] in Bourges. The whole thing made us laugh.”
The recently published book is the oldest European hotel and restaurant reference guide. It awards Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments.
In the UK, four restaurants have the maximum three Michelin stars: Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Mayfair; Gordon Ramsey, Chelsea; The Fat Duck Bray, Berkshire; and the Waterside Inn Bray, Berkshire.